It’s the second half of the school year, and we all know that means lots of exciting events at your school.

Spring sports, recitals, and even graduation are right around the corner, with families that want to tune in to watch their students succeed. And they’ll be turning to you, the school faculty, to help them stay engaged. What better way to do it than live stream?

The biggest challenge with live streaming is maintaining a solid Internet connection throughout the broadcasts. We’ve all seen our fair share of school streams that are lower quality than ideal. Schools don’t have the best broadband connections, and forcing the live stream to use the same Internet pipeline as the rest of the school means broadcasters have to sacrifice quality to at least get stable video/audio.

What if you didn’t have to? Teradek’s VidiU Go is a product that aims to fix that issue. The new live streaming device by Teradek takes your video feed and provides a redundant Internet connection to get it to the live platform of your choice. It combines up to 2x 4G LTE modems, Ethernet and WiFi into a single, rock-solid broadband connection to give your live video the data it needs to deliver high-definition video. If any single connection encounters issues, the others will act as backups to keep your stream smooth all throughout.

So here are 5 reasons to have one for your school this year!

1. Stream Higher Quality Video

The biggest feature of the VidiU Go is the HEVC/H.265 video compression. HEVC is the next-generation compression standard that will allow us to stream high-resolution video at half the bitrates of current requirements. For example, if you normally live stream 720p video at 3Mbps, HEVC will achieve the same 720p resolution at just 1.5Mbps. Stream 1080p at 6Mbps? Now it only costs 3Mbps!

What does this mean for your school? If you’ve been opting for lower-quality video due to the limited Internet bandwidth the school provides, HEVC allows you to achieve a much higher quality for the same bitrate. Better video quality not only helps keep viewers engaged, but also gives the community a much greater perception of the school, which could lead to more funding and more community involvement!

“But most platforms like Facebook and YouTube don’t accept HEVC video yet.” It’s true that these platforms are still developing adoption, so Teradek has you covered. Through our cloud-based platform Core, you can transcode HEVC video into AVC, which can then be streamed from Core to destinations of your choice. This saves you tons of data on your upload while allowing you to deliver a solid live stream to viewers.

2. Cover Events Anywhere

Getting an Internet connection in a classroom or studio is easy, but what about events in locations that don’t offer Internet access like soccer games or band concerts? These areas most likely don’t have Ethernet or WiFi access, and if there’s an audience in attendance, the frequencies are jammed by everyone’s cell phones.

What VidiU Go offers is not just a 4G LTE USB port, but two. VidiU Go can combine the Internet sources from these two ports into a single, powerful connection so you can live stream from anywhere. Along with HEVC, you can achieve high-definition video for less data and get your school’s content to live platforms wherever the event is.

Bonding also requires a subscription to Core, but a single subscription unlocks every feature available in Core including HEVC transcoding, bonding, remote access, cloud archiving, multi-platform delivery, and more. Learn more about Core at corecloud.tv.

3. Configure and Monitor from the App

Speaking of outside events, who really wants to tug a whole laptop around every time? VidiU Go comes with a free app that allows you to configure everything from resolutions to bitrates to destinations. This means you can monitor the health of your stream and make adjustments all from the convenience of your smartphone or tablet, or have a student do it!

4. Stream to Multiple Live Platforms

Have viewers who prefer different platforms? Or perhaps you don’t want your school’s streams limited by the 720p resolution cap on Facebook Live. No worries. With VidiU Go and Core, you can deliver your live streams to as many destinations as you want. That includes multiple Facebook Pages, YouTube channels, Twitch channels, and more. Get as many eyes on your school as possible.

5. Or Just Keep It Simple

While all of these features seem amazing and useful, sometimes all we need is just a quality encoder that sends high-definition video. Stream mostly from a studio? Give it an Ethernet connection and let it do its thing. VidiU Go offers an HDMI and SDI port, allowing you to connect any camera or switcher and send up to 1080p60 video to the destination. No need for any additional modems or subscriptions, just bring a camera and you’re ready to go.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for the latest hardware to support your school’s live streaming needs, consider trying out Teradek’s VidiU Go. Base models start at $1499, with optional upgrades that can be added later.